Thread: What are you working on?

Originally Posted by Euclid440

I like the blue. Want to learn how to make scales? Make them out of translucent plastic. As you have learned they show any flaw. You will learn a lot about making and finishing scales.

Nice job, how does it strop?

If it is a little awkward, try thinning the scale at the pivot. Take a cue from vintage scales, they really did know what they were doing, only had a couple hundred years to get it right.

Wedge thickness looks ok, with small blades you can go thinner.

Here is a thread on making clear thrust washers from a plastic water bottle so you don’t have the black hole at the pivot with translucent scales. (How I Made Clear Plastic Washers).

Thanks! I will try thinning the scales at the pivot in future.

I had already considered making thrust washers from a plastic bottle, not because of using clear scales, but as an improvised workaround when I didn't have brass thrust washers. But that could work. When the pivot was first pinned, it looked fine, but when it was oiled, the oil collected around the washers and seems to absorb the light creating a dark patch.

On the plus side, I had always wondered how the oil behaved at the pivot and I'm glad to see that it does collect in what seems to be a fairly stable pool around the wear washers. I had also wondered whether the bearing surface was between the scales and washers or between the washers and tang, it seems to be between the washers and the tang, the washers stay stationary relative to the scales.

As for honing and stropping, it went very smoothly. Are you wondering about the angled spine edge? I didn't really feel any significant difference. I haven't tested the razor yet, but I have a hunch it will be good. It seems people to speak well of Fontana razors.

Update on the microtome coming soon...

Monty-I made a set of scales from exactly the same blue clipboard material years ago as an experiment; it can work on smaller, lighter razors. I think they look kinda cool, just more brittle than the usual .125" acrylic stock.

In other news, has anyone heard from Tom? I sent him an e-mail. They keep getting hammered by these flood events in the Houston area.

You can make thrust washer from brass sheet, cuts easy with a punch, or just smash a brass washer with a hammer and re-drill the hole. I don’t oil plastic washers I just put some Frog Lube on the whole blade before assembly and some on the inside of the scales at the pivot. PETE is very slippery, by itself. I have been using PETE on horn with good results.

Been using Frog Lube paste, for a while as a lubricant and as a metal protectant. Put it on a warm blade, (hot water or heat gun to heat) with a small paint brush and wipe off excess. Works great on guns and protects knife blades from, (reduces) fingerprints. Also, if you remove the pins on your doors lube and replace, it is as if they are on ball bearings and silent.

The test of good fitting scales is how they strop, flip and shave. The other day, I honed a razor for a guy with big thick clunky scales and while it looked ok, it felt very uncomfortable, as if I would drop it at the flip. Those are the razors that cut strops.

As you continue to rescale razors you will pay more attention to vintage scales and find the similarities in the comfortable ones and copy them.

I keep a book with a tracing of each of the blades and scales of every razor I disassemble. With the brand name and any stamping, for reference. I have used it multiple times, but usually make scales very similar in size to the scales that came off, unless I feel it was rescaled, then I refer to my book.

Originally Posted by Euclid440

You can make thrust washer from brass sheet, cuts easy with a punch, or just smash a brass washer with a hammer and re-drill the hole. I don’t oil plastic washers I just put some Frog Lube on the whole blade before assembly and some on the inside of the scales at the pivot. PETE is very slippery, by itself. I have been using PETE on horn with good results.

Been using Frog Lube paste, for a while as a lubricant and as a metal protectant. Put it on a warm blade, (hot water or heat gun to heat) with a small paint brush and wipe off excess. Works great on guns and protects knife blades from, (reduces) fingerprints. Also, if you remove the pins on your doors lube and replace, it is as if they are on ball bearings and silent.

The test of good fitting scales is how they strop, flip and shave. The other day, I honed a razor for a guy with big thick clunky scales and while it looked ok, it felt very uncomfortable, as if I would drop it at the flip. Those are the razors that cut strops.

As you continue to rescale razors you will pay more attention to vintage scales and find the similarities in the comfortable ones and copy them.

I keep a book with a tracing of each of the blades and scales of every razor I disassemble. With the brand name and any stamping, for reference. I have used it multiple times, but usually make scales very similar in size to the scales that came off, unless I feel it was rescaled, then I refer to my book.

Useful tips, many thanks!

All the scales I have made so far have been copies of vintage ones. I have already started keeping patterns, a book is a great idea. But the point you make that certain scale shapes go with certain blades is a very valid one. Unfortunately, this Fontana blade came in a pair of scales which did not seem to be original, because the point was binding on the wedge, so I started from scratch. I think this razor looks ok now, but there is something missing from the overall balance in the aesthetic.

With respect to stropping, the scales do feel a tiny touch chunky, but the razor does still flip and strop fine. I wonder if bevelling the edges of the scales would help in this respect, it seems that only the thinnest vintage scales do not have bevelled edges. That would be a lot more work on a pair of scales such as these, made from 2mm plastic sheet. I do notice that 2mm is on the thin side for vintage scales, but they do not feel chunky with a bevelled edge.

As I am sure others do, I find the single most important thing for stropping is a nice firm pivot, if the scales are flopping around it is a non-starter.

I also make my own brass thrust washers, 0.3mm brass sheet, drill a row of holes, and then punch them out with an office hole punch, upside down with the bottom off so I can centre the drilled hole in the middle of the piece to be punched. Ideally I would use slightly thinner brass for smaller blades, I will arrange this by and by if I really feel the need.

Edit: double-checked, this plastic is a touch over 2mm thick, probably 2.2mm

Yes, I bevel any scales I make which seems to aid in stropping the razor. A good tight pivot also helps in that regard.

Bob

Just had a thought, strange feeling that was, you might find the PDF in this thread of interest when making scales.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/worksho...-patterns.html

Bob

Originally Posted by BobH

Just had a thought, strange feeling that was ....

Good one Bob!

Originally Posted by BobH

Just had a thought, strange feeling that was, you might find the PDF in this thread of interest when making scales.

https://sharprazorpalace.com/worksho...-patterns.html

Bob

Very useful, not just for me! Thanks

Originally Posted by Montgomery

...this Fontana blade came in a pair of scales which did not seem to be original, because the point was binding on the wedge, so I started from scratch.
...

I found a picture of a near-identical razor online:



Though the tang stamps differ slightly, the model number - 45 5/8 - is the same, and the blade looks identical. Interesting thing is, the scales in the picture are identical to the ones that were originally on my Fontana, except, as I said above, they seemed too short, and the blade was binding on the wedge, so I assumed they were not original.

Question is, can celluloid scales shrink like that? If they are the original scales, I may see if I can make a bit of space and re-fit them.

Yes, they can shrink like that. It happened on several of my razors. "Red Imps", among others, were renowned for it.